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Biggest internal additions in MLB for 2019

With so much focus on the free-agent market and trade winds, it can be easy to forget about the other players whose first games will be worth paying just as much attention to next season. The marketplace is one way for teams to improve, but sometimes the answers can be found right within a club’s own roster.

Diverting from the Hot Stove for just a second, here’s a mix of veterans and rookies we’re looking forward to seeing just as much in 2019.

With so much focus on the free-agent market and trade winds, it can be easy to forget about the other players whose first games will be worth paying just as much attention to next season. The marketplace is one way for teams to improve, but sometimes the answers can be found right within a club’s own roster.

Diverting from the Hot Stove for just a second, here’s a mix of veterans and rookies we’re looking forward to seeing just as much in 2019.

Miguel Cabrera, TigersYou can be forgiven if Miggy slipped your radar for a while; most of his 2018 highlights came in either bitter cold temperatures or dreadful rain, and a torn bicep ended his season by mid-June. But since it’s been a while, it’s worth a reminder that Cabrera was as lethal as ever in many ways at the plate — even if the homers were slow to come. Here’s where some of Cabrera’s contact metrics stood among qualified hitters by the time he tore that bicep tendon on June 12.

Cabrera should be back in the Tigers’ Opening Day lineup, and while he’ll be entering his age-36 season, Detroit is hoping Cabrera can stay on the field enough to showcase that significant talent still left in his bat.

Corey Seager, DodgersHere’s another big name who’s been off the grid for a while, especially after the incredibly deep Dodgers managed to reach the World Series even without one of their bona fide stars. A quick refresher: Seager’s 134 league-adjusted OPS+ in 2016 tied for the highest by a rookie shortstop in modern history, and his ’17 season was nearly as good despite some elbow issues.

We just saw Gleyber Torres come back from Tommy John surgery and make an immediate impact for the Yankees. Fangraphs’ Steamer projections are similarly optimistic about Seager — likely due back in May — believing he’ll be somewhere between a 5- to 6-WAR player. The Dodgers might still wind up signing Bryce Harper or trading for J.T. Realmuto, but getting a healthy Seager back in the lineup would be just as impactful.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue JaysThere might be no better reflection of the excitement surrounding Guerrero than his Steamer projection, which places him between Aaron Judge and Nolan Arenado among the 20 or so best players by WAR in 2019. Projections are typically conservative, but that’s just how much MLB’s top prospect has raked in the Minors. Guerrero’s OPS hasn’t finished below .800 at any level, and his strikeout rate has never risen above 13.4 percent — still nearly 10 points below the Major League average last season.

Guerrero’s Super Two status might inspire Toronto to keep him in Triple-A just a little longer, but his first big league at-bat figures to be one of the biggest moments on the 2019 calendar.

Eloy Jimenez, White SoxBaseball’s No. 3 prospect isn’t far behind Guerrero in terms of his prodigious skill with the bat. Jimenez was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte last June and proceeded to hit .355, compile a .996 OPS and knock 12 homers in 228 plate appearances, ramping up expectations on the South Side for the White Sox’s biggest piece from their Jose Quintana trade with the Cubs.

“We’re hoping that this young man’s career for us is going to be one of those future impact guys,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria told Baseball America last month. “I don’t want to call him a Hall of Famer, because that’s a lot to put on a kid’s plate, but he has the skill set to potentially be a very, very impactful frontline Major League player.”

Jimenez probably could have made it to the big leagues last September, but the White Sox’s outfield figures to get a lot more potent whenever he arrives this spring. Perhaps Jimenez and Guerrero could give the American League its own version of last summer’s thrilling Rookie of the Year race between Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Urias, PadresIt’s not every day that a team can envision the middle of its infield fortified by two top-50 prospects, but that’s the enviable situation San Diego finds itself in with MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked prospects at shortstop and second base. Tatis and Urias are 20 and 21, respectively, so they’ll take their lumps. But with everything pointing toward 2020 and beyond, Padres fans have to be excited to see two significant pieces of the team’s future step closer toward the present.

Jimmy Nelson, BrewersMilwaukee got within one game of its first World Series appearance since the Reagan administration, and it did so with a new-age mix of bullpenning and diamond-in-the-rough starters like Jhoulys Chacin and Wade Miley. But here’s the type of ace the Brewers hope can step back into the fold this year:

Nelson’s ranks among qualified NL starters, 2017

ERA: 8thFIP: 3rdK-BB%: 7thWAR: 4th

Nelson became a breakout ace, but unfortunately his shoulder injury took him away much too quickly. Nelson’s rehab went slower than expected last summer, but if he can break camp atop the Brewers’ depth chart, he represents a huge boost to their hopes of repeating in the NL Central.

Alex Reyes, CardinalsThis is almost a copy-paste from last year at this time, when Cardinals fans were anxious for Reyes to return from Tommy John surgery and slot in as either a lights-out closer or electric starter. His first game back in 2018 didn’t go according to plan, as his velocity dipped after three innings and he wound up needing more surgery for a torn lat. But there’s still reasons to be optimistic with Reyes: He hit 97.7 mph in that May 30 start against Milwaukee, and the Brewers were late on many of their swings before his velocity dropped. If Reyes can find that easy gas again and stay on the field, this righty could boost several areas of the Cardinals’ pitching staff depending on how they decide to use him.

Michael Pineda, TwinsIt’s hard to overlook the fact that Pineda has pitched just 89 games since he made the All-Star team as a rookie in 2011, but the big right-hander is cleared for Spring Training and has a chance for his first healthy season in years. There’s a lot to unlock if Pineda can take the mound: As MLB.com’s Andrew Simon pointed out, he’s ranked among the game’s upper echelon at missing bats and limiting walks even in his more injury-riddled times as a big leaguer.

Yu Darvish, CubsDarvish’s injury-riddled 2018 had ripple effects across Chicago’s roster: The Cubs picked up Cole Hamels‘ $20 million option this offseason partly as insurance in case Darvish gets hurt again, and that might have kept them financially hamstrung for shopping sprees like the Harper sweepstakes. But a full-strength season from Darvish would be just as beneficial for the North Siders as picking up Harper. Darvish is a dominant staff leader when he’s right (a reminder that he’s on pace to be one of the game’s all-time strikeout-per-nine innings leaders), and the Cubs need him to be that pitcher more than ever with Hamels and Jon Lester continuing to age.